Tag: Chibi Anwunah

2025 Season Countdown: #81-85

85. CB Tevis Metcalf (So.): Metcalf is listed at 5’10”, 192 lbs. after transferring from Arkansas this off-season with his brother T.J. He played in twelve games last season with the Razorbacks, all of them on special teams and two of them on defense. I think the defensive adjustment may be significant and there’s a good amount of competition to get on the field at cornerback, but he’s a good addition for the coming years.

84. WR Jamar Browder (Fr.): Browder (3-star, #82 WR, #540 overall) is a 6’5″, 208 lb. freshman receiver who enrolled early over the winter. The coaching staff has mentioned wanting to add size at the receiver position, and Browder brings that element, along with Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley. I think hands and route running are going to be an issue early for Browder, but the coaches seem to like him and his size maybe advantageous enough in certain situations or games to put him out on the field.

83. S Max Reyes (RS Jr.): Reyes is a redshirt junior that many fans might not know, but he’s a “sleeper” pick of mine to be a key special teams contributor. He was a solid high school baseball player and a backup quarterback to Quinn Ewers in high school, a football powerhouse at Southlake Carroll. Split squad caveats apply, but he has played quite a bit in his spring game opportunities and seems like a solid tackler. I think he might end up playing quite a bit on coverage units this fall. Last year’s rank: #99.

82. RB Bryson Kuzdzal (RS So.): Kuzdzal is a third-year player who had a good spring game and burst on to the scene, making his name known for the first time to many fans. He ran for 1,378 yards and scored 26 total touchdowns as a senior in the class of 2023, and he set personal record times of 10.99 in the 100 meters and 22.20 in the 200 meters during the spring of his senior year. With Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes virtually cemented in as the top two backs for this season, it will be a battle for the third spot between Kuzdzal, Princeton transfer John Volker, UMass transfer C.J. Hester, and redshirt freshman Micah Ka’apana. Last year’s rank: #127.

81. DE Chibi Anwunah (RS Jr.): Anwunah is a former walk-on who is now listed at 6’5″ and 278 pounds after bouncing around a little bit between tight end and defensive end. He played in two games last season and presumably moves up the ranks a little bit after Michigan lost Josaiah Stewart to the NFL and didn’t bring in any transfers. He’s still behind several guys and perhaps some young players like Devon Baxter, Lugard Edokpayi, and Nate Marshall will pass him up, but Anwunah’s 278 pounds might give him a leg up over some of the lighter, more athletic options. Last year’s rank: #95.

2024 Season Countdown: #95 Chibi Anwunah

Name: Chibi Anwunah
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 268 lbs.
High school: Canton (MI) Plymouth Christian
Position: Edge
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #95 #97
Last year: I ranked Anwunah #121 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Anwunah has had a little bit of a ride during his college career so far, bouncing back and forth between the tight end and edge positions. Last year he was listed at 6’5″ and 242 pounds, so he has put on 26 pounds since the previous weight update. That’s a significant change and may indicate a little more readiness to play. At his height, it might be kind of difficult to see the field at 242, but 268 is a much more playable size.

The edge positions appear to be pretty set for this fall with Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart looking like the starters, and with people like Enow Etta, T.J. Guy, Cameron Brandt, and Kechaun Bennett all vying for playing time. Anwunah is unlikely to beat out many – if any – of those guys, but it’s possible that he could get a few snaps if there are some blowout opportunities.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2023 Season Countdown: #121 Chibi Anwunah

Name: Chibi Anwunah
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Canton (MI) Plymouth Christian
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #95
Last year: I ranked Anwunah #131 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Anwunah came into Michigan last season listed at 6’7″ and 220 lbs. I said he needed to add weight, and lo and behold, he got shorter by two inches . . . and put on 22 pounds. He redshirted last season at defensive end, which was expected because of some rawness. I was surprised to see this spring that he had switched to tight end on the roster, but now he’s back to being listed as an “EDGE” on MGoBlue.com, so perhaps the offensive experiment is finished.

Whether he stays on defense or gets another shot on offense, it will likely be another year of watching from the sideline for Anwunah. He has size and potential, but again, he was raw, and playing a little positional ping-pong this spring probably didn’t help him get any closer to seeing the field.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2022 Season Countdown: #131 Chibi Anwunah

Name: Chibi Anwunah
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Westland (MI) Lutheran
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Anwunah was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: N/A

Anwunah has a very unorthodox back story. The son of Nigerian immigrants, he even spent some time living in Nigeria before moving back to the United States. He was also a cross country runner when he was younger (LINK). So he’s just growing into his body and is very raw right now, but Michigan has had success with some of these types of players in the past.

Anwunah bounced around a little bit in the front seven and doesn’t have much in his repertoire besides see ball, get ball. So he’s almost guaranteed to redshirt. He’s almost the type of guy who I could see running down on special teams in a few years like German mogul skier Julius Welschof. Of course, that might be a couple years down the road when he’s added another 30+ pounds of muscle. Overall, this is a nice preferred walk-on pickup for the Wolverines.

Prediction: Redshirt

Michigan’s 2022 Preferred Walk-ons

At any top-tier football program, walk-ons can seem meaningless. When teams recruit 5-star and 4-star players, what are the chances that some walk-on is going to do anything significant on the field? Except in almost any year, a walk-on plays a significant role, even if it’s “only” on special teams. This past season, safety Caden Kolesar (9 tackles), defensive tackle Jess Speight (7 tackles), tight end Carter Selzer, and long snapper William Wagner all played significant snaps for the Wolverines. There’s a good chance that at least one or two of these players will end up playing a lot of minutes in a Michigan uniform.

Nico Andrighetto – S – Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Andrighetto is the 5’9″, 180 lb. brother of walk-on running back Lucas Andrighetto. He turned down offers from FCS Colgate and Columbia to walk on at Michigan. Nico had 75 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 1 touchdown as a senior in 2021. You can find his highlights HERE.

Chibi Anwunah – DE – Westland (MI) Lutheran
Anwuna is a 6’7″, 225 lb. Nigerian immigrant who played out of position – at least for college – as a linebacker in high school. He will almost certainly move down to the defensive line, probably defensive end, for Michigan. Anwunah has good size and decent athleticism, but he plays tentatively and needs to get a lot stronger. If he does he could be a diamond in the rough in a few years. You can find his highlights HERE.

Evan Boutorwick – LS – Sterling Heights (MI) Henry Ford II
Boutorwick has nice size at 6’4″ and 225 lbs. He was an Under Armour All-American and Korblue Kicking has him ranked as the #10 long snapper in the class of 2022.

Declan Byle – QB – Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Byle is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect who looks like a walk-on quarterback. He does not have a particularly good arm or noteworthy athleticism. I do not see him factoring into Michigan’s depth chart in the future. You can find some of his highlights HERE.

Hit the jump for more.